The American University in Cairo Press (AUC Press)

20/09/2025

Celebrating Heritage

The fall 2025 lecture series organized by Archinos Architecture and the Sultan Foundation opened last Saturday at the historic Maq‘ad of Sultan Qaibey with a talk by Bernard O'Kane, AUC Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture and AUC Press author.

In his lecture 'Stucco in Cairo: Indigenous Development and Imported Ideas,' Prof. O’Kane explored the dynamic interplay between local innovation and cross-cultural influences in Cairo’s architectural history.

Discover O’Kane’s books with AUC Press:
"The Mosques of Egypt" (2017): http://tinyurl.com/ThemosquesofEgypt

"The Illustrated Guide to the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo" (2012): http://tinyurl.com/TheMuseumofIslamicArt

Browse more of his works: http://tinyurl.com/Bernard-Okane

18/09/2025

Did you know Naguib Mahfouz’s “Palace of Desire” faced a fierce censorship battle when adapted for the screen?

The film was inspired by Naguib Mahfouz’s novel with the same name. Actors, directors, and even the Ministry of Culture were drawn into a two-year struggle over the film’s release, a story as dramatic as the novel itself. Read more in this article: https://tinyurl.com/sadanews-palaceofdesirefilm

Learn more about "Palace of Desire", a classic by Naguib Mahfouz, translated by William M. Hutchins, Lorne M. Kenny and Olive E. Kenny (AUC Press, 2019): https://tinyurl.com/Palace-of-Desire
Available in Egypt through AUC Bookstores Egypt, and worldwide as part of "The Naguib Mahfouz Centennial Library", the definitive collection of the translated works of Egypt’s greatest writer: https://tinyurl.com/TheCentennialLibrary

18/09/2025

Good news for readers in the UK and nearby!

AUC Press books are now available on IndiePubs UK.
Explore our collection here: https://indiepubs.co.uk/aucpress

Discover titles that bring the Middle East to your bookshelf!

17/09/2025

"Cinematic Cairo" on the New Books Network

The New Books Network features a podcast with Nezar Alsayyad and Heba Safey Eldeen, who discuss their book "Cinematic Cairo" in conversation with interviewer Lauren Fonto.

Listen to the conversation: https://newbooksnetwork.com/cinematic-cairo

Learn more about “Cinematic Cairo: Egyptian Urban Modernity from Reel to Real”, edited by Nezar Alsayyad and Heba Safey Eldeen (AUC Press, 2022): https://tinyurl.com/Cinematic-Cairo

16/09/2025

"The Political Economy of Reforms in Egypt: Issues and Policymaking since 1952" by Khalid Ikram (AUC Press, 2021).
This crucial and timely work examines long-term structural features, economic performance since 1952, and the Impact of policy decisions.
Learn more about the book and read an extract: https://bit.ly/3r4r8V9

15/09/2025

Two Egyptian icons in one frame!

Sir Magdi Yacoub, the King of Hearts, meets football legend Mo Salah and shares with him his biography "A Surgeon and a Maverick".

Learn more about “A Surgeon and a Maverick: The Life and Pioneering Work of Magdi Yacoub” by Simon Pearson and Fiona Gorman (AUC Press, 2023): www.aucpress.com/Yacoub

The paperback edition is coming soon
A percentage of the proceeds will support the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation - مؤسسة مجدى يعقوب للقلب

15/09/2025

Two Egyptian icons in one frame!

Sir Magdi Yacoub, the King of Hearts, meets football legend Mo Salah and shares with him his biography "A Surgeon and a Maverick" ( AUC Press, 2023).

Learn more about “A Surgeon and a Maverick: The Life and Pioneering Work of Magdi Yacoub” by Simon Pearson and Fiona Gorman (AUC Press, 2023): www.aucpress.com/Yacoub

The paperback edition is coming soon
A percentage of the proceeds will support the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation - مؤسسة مجدى يعقوب للقلب

13/09/2025

This week marks 102 years since the death of Sayyid Darwish, many of his songs are still performed by Palestinian musicians.

For more Palestinian musical references to Sayyid Darwish, read "Palestinian Music in Exile: Voices of Resistance" by Louis Brehony (AUC Press, 2023).

This book is a historical and contemporary study of Palestinian musicianship in exile in the Middle East, spanning half a century in disparate locations including Gaza, Turkey, Kuwait, and Egypt.
Learn more about the book at www.aucpress.com

13/09/2025

This week marks 102 years since the death of Sayyid Darwish, many of his songs are still performed by Palestinian musicians.

For more Palestinian musical references to Sayyid Darwish, read "Palestinian Music in Exile: Voices of Resistance" by Louis Brehony (AUC Press, 2023).

This book is a historical and contemporary study of Palestinian musicianship in exile in the Middle East, spanning half a century in disparate locations including Gaza, Turkey, Kuwait, and Egypt.
Learn more about the book:
https://aucpress.com/9781649033048/palestinian-music-in-exile/

11/09/2025

Celebrating Heritage

A lecture series for fall 2025 organized by Archinos Architecture and the Sultan Foundation.

Don’t miss the inaugural lecture, “Stucco in Cairo: Indigenous Development and Imported Ideas,” delivered by Bernard O'Kane, AUC Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture and AUC Press author, at the historic Maq‘ad of Sultan Qaibey.
His lecture will explore the interplay of local innovation and cross-cultural influences in Cairo’s architectural history.

Explore O’Kane’s books published by AUC Press:
- "The Mosques of Egypt" (2017): http://tinyurl.com/ThemosquesofEgypt
- "The Illustrated Guide to the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo" (2012): http://tinyurl.com/TheMuseumofIslamicArt
- Browse more of his works: http://tinyurl.com/Bernard-Okane

Event details:
Organized by: ARCHiNOS Architecture and Sultan Foundation, within a larger project for conservation and social development in Cairo’s City of the Dead, primarily funded by the EU Delegation to Egypt.
Date: Saturday, 13 September 2025
Time: 6:30 – 7:30pm
Location: Maq‘ad of Sultan Qaibey, – City of the Dead, Cairo
Check the FB event for the location on the map: https://www.facebook.com/share/16BAzH9UPH/

09/09/2025

Ancient Egypt Seminar in Italy: "Recycling for Death"

Join Professor Kara Cooney - Egyptologist (UCLA) for an in-person seminar on "Recycling for Death: Coffin Reuse in Ancient Egypt and the Theban Royal Caches"

Location: Aula Magna, Palazzo Boilleau, University of Pisa Università di Pisa , Italy
Date: Friday, 12 September 2025
Time: 3:30 PM (CEST / GMT +2)
Attendance is free, no registration required

This seminar marks the opening of the series “Pisa 1825–26 and the Origins of Modern Egyptology,” organized by the association VOLO – Viaggiando Oltre l’Orizzonte, with support from the University of Pisa.

Learn more about “Recycling for Death: Coffin Reuse in Ancient Egypt and the Theban Royal Caches” (AUC Press, 2024): https://tinyurl.com/RFD-KaraCooney

08/09/2025